Snapshots of Forever
by chocolatequeen
Summary: Little snapshots taken along the path of forever. This story is set within the timeframe of Love on a Desert Island and fills in the blanks. Part 2 of The Course of True Love
1. Chapter 1

**AN:** This is part of my series, "The Course of True Love." It covers events that happen during the time skip in the second chapter of "Love on a Desert Island," as well as in between that story and "With This Ring."

The Doctor was the first to the workshop, just as he had been every day for the last four months. He pulled the curtains back from the tall windows, and warm sunlight streamed into the room, dancing over the canvases and slabs of marble Michelangelo's apprentices were working on.

And in an alcove, there was an almost finished statue of the goddess Fortuna. The Doctor studied it carefully, starting with her sandalled feet and making sure every detail matched the image of Rose in his head. He swallowed when he reached her hand—the one that would eventually be lost—and remembered how those fingers felt, laced between his own.

Her face was blank, and looking at the pale white marble, the Doctor felt a flicker in his time senses, like he'd just remembered something that hadn't happened yet. _Focus,_ he told himself sternly, then picked up his chisel.

Slowly, the room filled with chatter as other apprentices arrived to work. The Doctor blocked out the sound of their voices as the curve of Rose's full bottom lip emerged from the marble. As he worked, he remembered the way that lip had felt caught between his own, and he furiously blinked back tears.

"You do not work with any sort of reference."

The Doctor didn't look up when Michelangelo spoke. "No," he said, brushing away marble dust and studying his progress before reaching for the chisel again.

"I think your Fortuna is real, and you love her."

He stilled. "Yes."

oOoOoOoOo

Rose felt the breeze on her face first, then her vision cleared and the Doctor's face swam into view. Her heart clenched when she saw the deep furrow between his brows. As soon as she could move her hand, she reached up to smooth it away.

"Rose."

She heard the suppressed sob in his voice and wondered how long she'd been stuck as a statue. Before she could ask, the Doctor wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close.

Rose tilted her head back and met his kiss. His movements were frenzied, nipping at her lip, darting his tongue into her mouth to taste her, trailing kisses along her jawline before returning to her mouth.

She understood his desperation a few hours later when she held her breath and poured the green potion over his head. This time, she was the one to whisper his name, the one who needed to feel the warmth of his blood flowing beneath his skin as she touched him.

When he ran his hands up and down her back, Rose wound her arms around his neck and kissed him urgently, letting him feel her worry and her relief as they celebrated the unspeakable pleasure of being together.

Their kisses finally softened into a series of pecks, and then the Doctor pulled back and cupped her face in his hand. Rose smiled up at him and turned to press a kiss to his palm.

They were all right. They'd always be all right.

oOoOoOoOo

The Doctor stared up at the dark ceiling in Jackie's lounge. Seeing Sarah Jane again had been hard. Seeing how he'd hurt her by leaving and never coming back…

A soft shuffling noise distracted him from his thoughts, and he rolled over to look towards the hallway. Rose's figure was silhouetted in the pale light coming in through the window.

"I thought you were in bed," he whispered.

"Couldn't sleep," she answered. "Budge up."

The Doctor pushed himself up so his legs were stretched out on half of the couch, leaving room for Rose. But instead of sitting on the empty half, she wedged herself in between the back of the couch and his legs, resting her head on his chest.

"What's bothering you, love?" His hand dropped to her head, his fingers playing with her silky hair.

She shifted so he could see her face. "Why'd you leave Sarah Jane behind, Doctor?"

His throat closed when he heard the vulnerability in her voice. He would rather kiss a Slitheen than explain his fears to Rose, but he couldn't leave that fear unanswered.

"I don't age. I regenerate. But humans decay—you wither and you die."

She sucked in a breath, but the Doctor continued on, needing her to understand this.

"You can spend the rest of your life with me, but I can't spend the rest of mine with you. I wish I could, but I can't."

Rose climbed into his lap. "Then let's enjoy the forever we have."

oOoOoOoOo

The library's dim lights cast the Doctor's face in shadow, but Rose could still see his frown. "Why do I feel like you're angry with me?"

She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. "You knew I didn't want to bring Mickey along!" she hissed. "I shook my head and told you no when he asked. So why'd you do it, Doctor?"

He raked his hand through his hair. "I really don't understand why you're so upset about this. You wanted Sarah Jane to join us—that was your idea. How is Mickey any different?"

Rose narrowed her eyes. "Really? You can't think of any reasons why having my ex-boyfriend along would be different?"

"No!"

"It didn't occur to you that it might be… awkward, considering how our relationship has changed?" The Doctor's eyes widened, and his obvious surprise made Rose wonder if she'd misread his motivation.

"But he… you're not… you haven't been together in months!" he finally spluttered.

Rose sighed, and most of her anger drained out of her with the gust of air. "Yeah but Mickey still cares about me, and I don't want to hurt him by rubbing our relationship in his face."

The Doctor tugged on his ear, and Rose finally smiled at him. "Never mind." She crossed the room and wrapped her arms around his waist. "I thought you were pulling back, that's all."

He shook his head. "Never," he swore. "You promised your forever, and that's what I want."

oOoOoOoOo

The Doctor stared at Reinette, who was stalking him across the room with a coy smile on her face. It was similar to Rose's teasing smile, but instead of wanting to catch her in his arms and kiss her, his hearts pounded with a frantic need to run away.

He backed up to the wall, a few feet from the fireplace. "Listen, lovely to catch up, but better to be off, eh? Don't want your mother finding you up here with a strange man, do we?"

"Strange?" she repeated. "How could you be a stranger to me? I've known you since I was seven years old."

The logic was impeccable, but it also shot a hole in the Doctor's argument. He shifted towards the fireplace and said, "Yeah, I suppose you have. I came the quick route. But now that I've seen that you're still all right, I should just…"

Reinette crossed the remaining space between them, her eyes glittering with amusement. "Will you not allow me to thank you properly for keeping me safe all these years?" she purred, matching him step for step as he inched sideways.

"No thanks needed—all in a day's work for a fireplace inspector." Finally close enough, he grabbed the lever, then leapt through to the spaceship when the fireplace turned on its base.

Rose and Mickey were gone, and after his hearts slowed down, the Doctor followed them. Best if he stayed close to Rose until they were done dealing with Reinette.

oOoOoOoOo

"You're going to do what?" Rose asked.

The Doctor shoved his hands into his hair and tugged. "I know. I know, Rose. But timelines are dissolving around Reinette—if I don't save her, there will be disastrous consequences."

"Yeah, I get that," Rose replied. And she did—sometimes he _had_ to act. "But I'm not staying behind."

"Oh!" His eyes brightened. "But didn't I explain the next part?"

Rose looked at Mickey, then they both said, "No."

"Ah. Well." He tugged on his ear and grinned sheepishly. "You two are coming to get me."

Rose blinked. "How're we gonna do that?"

The Doctor stuck his hands in his pockets and grinned, like he'd been very clever. "When you get into the TARDIS, there will be a big red button on the console. That will tell her to follow our telepathic connection so she can come after me."

There were a lot of questions Rose wanted to ask, but there wasn't time. Instead, she grabbed the Doctor's tie and pulled him down while she pushed herself up on her toes. His lips met hers in a searing kiss, and she knew his rescue plan wasn't quite foolproof.

"You be careful," she warned after she backed up.

He swung himself up on the horse and beamed down at her. "See you in a minute, Rose Tyler."

Mickey stared at her after the Doctor broke the window. "So. You and him?"

Rose smiled, her lips still tingling from the kiss. "Yeah. We are."


	2. Chapter 2

After three weeks, Mickey wished he'd never come on the TARDIS. He'd known Rose wasn't his girl when she'd stood on the playground and told him there was nothing for her on the Estate. He'd known she loved the Doctor when she'd been devastated by his regeneration.

But he hadn't known they were properly together.

Seeing them cuddled together watching telly, or catching them stealing a kiss in the galley while they made breakfast… Every day on the TARDIS reminded him that Rose had moved on to something better.

Rose's apologetic glances stung, too. He didn't need her protecting him… though he didn't know if he wanted to see her in a full-on snog with the Doctor, either.

Mickey rolled his eyes as he pressed down on the button the Doctor had shown him. But the kisses and tender looks weren't the worst part about being their third wheel.

Sitting beside Rose in the jump seat, the Doctor gestured wildly as he reminded her of some adventure. "And that weird munchkin lady with the big eyes? Do you remember—the way she looked at you! And then she opens her mouth and fire comes out!"

Rose laughed and put her hand on his leg. "I thought I was going to get frazzled!"

"Yeah. One minute she's standing there, and the next minute roar!"

Mickey could handle kisses and tender looks, but the way they got lost in their own world was too much. _Time to find my own something better._

oOoOoOoOo

On a hill overlooking Battersea Power Plant, the Doctor laid out the plan they'd just agreed to. "We attack on three sides. Above, between, below. We get to the control centre, we stop the conversion machines."

"What about me?"

The Doctor blinked and looked at Mickey. "Mickey. You can…" He tugged on his ear.

"What, stay out of trouble? Be the tin dog?" Mickey shook his head. "No, those days are over. I'm going with Jake."

Jake, still grieving for Ricky, scowled at him. "I don't need you, idiot."

"I'm not an idiot!" Mickey shouted. "You got that? I'm offering to help."

The Doctor held his breath as timelines shifted.

"Whatever," Jake muttered, then stomped off towards the zeppelin, Mickey hot on his heels.

"Mickey," the Doctor called out. "Good luck."

Mickey's smile was surprised. "Yeah, you too. Rose, I'll see you later."

"Yeah, you'd better," Rose answered, her voice light.

"If we survive this, I'll see you back at the TARDIS," the Doctor told him.

"That's a promise." Mickey nodded, then turned around and followed Jake.

The Doctor looked at Rose. She'd taken the most dangerous part of the plan on herself, but there was no way to talk her out of it. Instead, he brought her close with a hand on her waist and kissed her.

The kiss was far too brief, and when he pulled back, three words were on the tip of his tongue. "Good luck," he said instead.

Rose kissed his hand, then walked away.

oOoOoOoOo

Rose sat at the kitchen table while her mum filled the kettle and got two mugs out of the cabinet. The Doctor had returned to the TARDIS after supper, so it was just the two Tyler women, getting ready to have their nighttime cuppa.

The normalcy of the routine reminded Rose of her conversation about a bedtime cuppa with the parallel Jackie, and she swallowed back tears. There'd been enough crying today.

The kettle went off, and Jackie poured boiling water into the waiting mugs. "So I see himself finally got his act together."

"What?"

Her mum rolled her eyes as she brought the tea and milk over. "Don't even try to tell me you're not like that, sweetheart. The little kiss on your cheek before he took that box of his down to the street where it belongs?" She sniffed. "Have to admit, that was sweet."

"Oh." Rose poured milk into her tea. "Yeah, we're properly together now. Have been for… oh, almost two months." She took a sip of her tea and remembered the trip to paradise where the Doctor had kissed her for the first time.

"Well, he isn't what I imagined for you," her mum said. "But he obviously makes you happy, if that smile is any indication."

Rose stiffened and stared down at her tea, her stomach in knots. She hadn't even known she was smiling. _I am a horrible friend._ "I've gotta go," she muttered, jumping to her feet and running from the flat.

oOoOoOoOo

The Doctor looked up in surprise when Rose burst into the TARDIS, her eyes wild. He held out his arms in invitation and she fell into them willingly. His hearts constricted when her tears soaked his shirt. "Come on, love," he whispered. "Let's sit down."

She nodded against his chest, and he led her to the jump seat. She immediately curled up in his lap, and the Doctor wrapped his arms tight around her.

"What's wrong?"

Rose played with his tie. "It's my fault Mickey left." She swiped at the fresh tears welling up in her eyes. "He felt like he didn't matter anymore, so he went someplace where he was needed."

The Doctor pulled Rose close. "It isn't our fault Mickey left, Rose. This was something he needed to do for himself."

"Yeah?"

He nodded. "And it's something that had to happen. I felt timelines snap in place when he ran after Jake."

"Oh."

"Yep." The Doctor hesitated, then asked, "What brought this on, anyway?"

She sighed. "Mum asked about us—you and me," she clarified. "She knows, by the way."

"Oh, she does?"

Rose smirked when his voice squeaked. "Yep. Thinks you're sweet."

That… that was probably good. "Okay…"

"And… I remembered our first kiss under the _ciamanto_ _ciel_ , and for a moment, I forgot about Mickey."

 _Ah._ The Doctor smiled tenderly at Rose. "You can still be happy, even though Mickey's gone."

Rose rested her head on his shoulder. "Good. Because I don't think I could stop."

oOoOoOoOo

The Doctor's hearts stopped when he saw the newest victim. Even with her face covered, he recognised her—only a few hours ago, Rose had been on the jump seat, teasing him with glimpses of her legs as she put on those pink heels.

He dropped the police file and walked towards her in a daze as the officer revealed her blank face. No brown eyes twinkled up at him, no cheeky tongue teased him with her smile.

"Rose."

"You know her?" Detective Inspector Bishop asked.

"Know her? She…" His voice trailed off and he cupped her jaw tenderly, just as he had her unfinished statue months ago. He swallowed back tears when she didn't nuzzle into his hand. His Rose was gone; this was just her body.

Slowly, the conversation between the police officers filtered into his brain. "They did what?" he asked, his voice hoarse.

"I'm sorry?" asked Bishop.

"They left her where?" the Doctor demanded.

"Just… in the street."

"In the street." Anger powered the storm brewing in his mind. "They left her in the street. They took her face and just chucked her out and left her in the street. And as a result, that makes things simple. Very, very simple. Do you know why?" He took off his glasses and turned around.

"No."

"Because now, Detective Inspector Bishop, there is no power on this Earth that can stop me. Come on!"

He squeezed her hand before leaving the room. _I'm coming to get you, Rose._

oOoOoOoOo

The Doctor still hadn't conquered the last of his fear as he ran alongside Tommy back towards Florizel Street. Even though he knew his device had worked, had seen the red crackle of electricity pull back from London as the Wire was defeated, he wouldn't believe all was well until he saw Rose's face.

Tommy burst around the last corner, but the Doctor slowed, scanning the street for familiar blonde hair. It seemed like forever passed before a flash of pink caught his eye, and the air escaped his body on a loud whoosh.

Perhaps sensing his presence, Rose looked at him, and at the sight of her wide smile, he sped up to an almost-run. Rose threw her arms around his neck when he picked her up. "Oh, I missed you," he whispered as he spun her around. "I missed you so much."

The need to see her face again overpowered his need to hold her close, and he set Rose back on her feet. Her eyes fluttered closed when he ran his fingers down the sweep of her nose and over her cheekbones, and the Doctor shook his head. "Open your eyes for me, love," he whispered. "I need to see…"

He couldn't finish the sentence, but the compassion in her eyes when she looked at him told him he didn't need to. "Oh, Rose. I thought I'd lost you."

She took his hand and kissed it. "I'm still here, Doctor. I'm not letting forever go that easily."

oOoOoOoOo

The bed they were given on the Sanctuary Base was narrow, meant for only one. But after losing the TARDIS, cuddling as close to Rose as possible was a welcome comfort.

"You'll find her," Rose whispered, echoing what the timelines were telling him.

The Doctor turned them carefully so they were on their sides, facing each other. He brushed a strand of hair out of her face, then leaned forward and kissed her.

Rose's lips parted on a sigh, and the Doctor deepened the kiss, slipping his tongue into her mouth. Her hands twined in his hair as he flicked his tongue against the roof of her mouth, and he was seized by a desperation he rarely felt when kissing Rose—a need for more, to never stop, to just lose himself in her.

As he trailed kisses along her jawline, laving at a spot on her neck that drew a sharp moan of pleasure from her, he moved his hand to the small of her back and pulled her closer. Rose hooked a leg over his hip, and they sucked in a breath when she brushed against his growing erection.

"Doctor… is this—are we…"

The Doctor's Adam's apple bobbed as he nodded. "It's not what I imagined for our first time," he admitted, "but I would like to make love with you here, tonight. If you want," he added quickly.

Rose shifted closer and the Doctor groaned when she rubbed herself against him. "Oh, I want," she whispered.

oOoOoOoOo

"Don't go!" Ida pleaded.

He licked his lips. He had to go—they'd covered that already. But he could leave a message for Rose. "If they get back in touch, if you talk to Rose, just tell her." His throat closed up. He knew what he wanted to tell her, but he wanted to see her eyes light up when she heard those words for the first time. Tell her… that I let go of the rope, but not of our forever."

On the surface, Rose held her breath as she listened for the Doctor's voice. "Are you there, Doctor?" she asked a second time. _He has to be there. He promised I could spend the rest of my life with him._

"He's gone."

A band tightened around Rose's chest when she heard Ida's voice. An answer, finally, but not the one she was looking for.

Rose shook her head. "What do you mean, he's gone?"

"He fell into the pit. And I don't know how deep it is. Miles and miles and miles."

Rose's hand clenched, even though she knew she couldn't pull him back. "But what do you mean, he fell?"

"I couldn't stop him. He said to tell you that he was only letting go of the rope, not of forever."

A sob choked Rose, and she dropped the mic. Through the roaring in her ears, she heard Zach tell Ida they were leaving.

She straightened her back. _Well I'm not going anywhere. Not without the Doctor._


End file.
